


The Wind Mansion

by glitterburn (orphan_account)



Category: Red Cliff
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-18
Updated: 2009-12-18
Packaged: 2017-10-04 13:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/glitterburn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hua Tuo finds himself comparing his two masters</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wind Mansion

**Author's Note:**

> Includes a slight deviation from movie canon because I wanted to mention [Zhou Tai](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_Tai) – SQ was _very_ fond of him. Hua Tuo's acupuncture needles made me remember a book (_Grasping The Wind_, ed. Ellis, Wiseman &amp; Boss) I'd bought at random from a second-hand shop in Glastonbury many years ago, which details all the classical acupuncture points in the body. As I browsed through looking for points relating to headaches, I found one called The Wind Mansion (_feng fu_; 風府; point GV-16). Since wind plays a pivotal role in _Red Cliff_, I decided it was a nice coincidence. Then I saw one of the alternate names – Cao's Ravine (_cao xi_; 曹巇) – Cao Cao's family name. Spooky!

His pulse is sluggish, stuttering like a thin stream flowing around rocks. Hua Tuo moves his fingers over the inside of Cao Cao's wrist and listens again, head tilted, reading his illustrious patient's health the way another man would read words written on a scroll.

"The channel of the Governing Vessel is blocked again, Your Highness." Hua Tuo keeps one hand pressed against Cao Cao's wrist while he unfastens the padded silk case containing his acupuncture needles. He feels a fluctuation in the pulse and knows Cao Cao is frowning; he knows that the movement, slight though it is, brings pain to the Prime Minster. Hua Tuo adjusts his grip, reading the onset of migraine.

Cao Cao pulls free of his grasp. "The block seems to be permanent, doctor. Every day I rise with a headache; every evening I retire with a headache."

"It is what you do between the hours of dusk and dawn that causes the blockage of your _qi_ and, in part, causes your headaches, Your Highness." Hua Tuo feels safe enough, secure enough in his position as the foremost physician of China to make this remark. He busies himself with selecting the needles and shuffles into position behind the Prime Minister.

Cao Cao turns his head slightly to watch him. The candlelight catches on the angle of his cheekbone, stripes a warm glow down his face. "And what do I do during that time?"

Though his tone is pleasant, inviting confidences, Hua Tuo is not fool enough to be drawn in by it. He's seen too many men succumb to Cao Cao's charisma, who've believed in his dangerous charm and fallen foul of it. The only way to survive in Cao Cao's service is to be straightforward and unemotional.

"Your appetite for women rules you." Hua Tuo says it bluntly. He slides the first needle into the acupuncture point known as Unyielding Space. "The Governing Vessel leads the yang of the body. If the channel is strong, the spine is strong and thus the body is strong. If your yang is depleted, the entire system breaks down."

"And you believe I'm wasting my yang energy on women."

Hua Tuo takes up a second needle and inserts it into the Brain's Door point. "I believe Your Highness should attempt to preserve your _qi_, particularly as we move towards war. Excess of any emotion leads to physical symptoms, and an excess or lack of yin or yang energy will disturb you. Drained of the fire of yang, you may be swayed by watery yin towards decisions you would not normally make."

"You would advise me on strategy by advocating celibacy? How very quaint." Cao Cao smiles and rotates his shoulders backwards, some of the tension releasing from the muscles of his neck as the needles stimulate the pressure points of his body. "Women are a pleasure, doctor. They delight the senses. Pluck them at the right moment and they can be trained to accommodate one's every whim. They are passive receptacles that need the fulfilment of yang essence. I have no need to fear their yin energy, no matter how many women I take to my bed."

"I must draw your attention to the fact that we're in a place ruled by water..."

Cao Cao sighs, his skin visibly tightening in response to his irritation. "And opposite stands Red Cliff, a potent symbol of yang! What are you suggesting, doctor? That the ridiculous alliance of traitors will prevail here because they chose the right side of the river? Impossible! They have a handful of beaten soldiers and a pack of leaders who cluck like chickens in a henhouse. Their ships would be better used as pleasure-craft on a boating lake, and their fear and ambition will tear them apart."

Hua Tuo picks up a third needle. "It is not wise to underestimate the enemy, Your Highness."

"It is not wise to underestimate anyone." Cao Cao turns around and stares at him, hard and intense. His focus breaks, a flicker of pain suddenly showing in his eyes. A spasm crosses his face and he rocks a little, drawing in his breath. With force of will, he dismisses the pain and gives Hua Tuo a furious look. "I will not give up my concubines. Do you understand me? You must find another cure for my headaches – and fast. I begin to doubt the rumours of your competence."

Hua Tuo says nothing. He turns Cao Cao's head to face in front of him and strokes gentle fingertips from his nape up into his hairline. His knowledge is ingrained, as natural as breathing, yet with Cao Cao he finds himself numbering the touches and measuring the distances as if he were the greenest student of medicine. Hua Tuo locates the Wind Mansion and the needle pierces the skin.

Cao Cao responds. His body relaxes at the release brought by the needle but his mind is still combative. "The efficacy of your cures is spoken of across the kingdoms, yet a simple headache appears to be beyond your capabilities," he says. "Why is this?"

There's no easy answer to this. Hua Tuo thinks carefully before he replies. "You of all men should know, Your Highness, that the simplest thing often has its roots in complexity. So it is with your headaches. A man may experience a headache for a range of reasons – he is angry, or his eyesight is failing, or an ill wind has entered his body. Or perhaps he forms an unhealthy attachment and spends his days in yearning. Occasionally there may be a physical growth trapped inside the head, a malignancy that expands to press against the skull."

He is of the opinion that Cao Cao suffers from the latter affliction, but as he expects, Cao Cao seizes on the example that closest fits his temperament. "An unhealthy attachment?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Cao Cao snorts. "You must have seen many such attachments during your time in Wu. When you cured Zhou Tai, for example..."

"Zhou Tai was stabbed a dozen times in defence of Sun Quan. He is a loyal soldier. Loyalty to one's master is not unhealthy."

"That is not what I meant." Cao Cao waves a dismissive hand. "I heard that Sun Quan broke down and wept, begging you to save Zhou Tai's life." The Prime Minister sounds amused. "Little boys are so inclined to hero-worship. When left unchecked, it can develop into something... unhealthy."

Hua Tuo stiffens his spine. "I don't know anything about that."

Cao Cao chuckles and leans back. "Come now, doctor! The Duke of Wu is a frightened child hiding behind his Viceroy and his commanders. Even I can tell he suffers from an excess of yin. Surely this is why he consorts with men who are all too willing to share their yang essence with him."

For a while Hua Tuo remains silent. He has no desire to speak ill of his former master Sun Quan. He kneels behind Cao Cao and stares around the cabin, his gaze passing over the silken drapes and bronze censers and elegant screens to come to rest on the portrait of Xiao Qiao, painted by Cao Cao from memory and, in Hua Tuo's opinion, fantasy.

The woman in the portrait seems to mock him with her half smile and demure, cast-down gaze. The perfect woman, the most beautiful woman in China. A dream; an obsession. Hua Tuo turns away and looks into the flame of the candle closest to him, comparing Cao Cao's desire for Xiao Qiao with Sun Quan's grief over Zhou Tai's injuries.

It had been an outpouring of misery, yes; the reaction of a boy caught unawares in a trap, who'd almost been cut down by his brother's enemies and who'd been saved only by the courage of Zhou Tai. Little wonder he'd displayed such extravagant grief, but it had been innocent, untouched by the physicality Cao Cao tried to suggest.

In Hua Tuo's opinion, Sun Quan's misplaced worry over Zhou Tai had its roots in the death of his father. And then, when his brother was killed... He could only imagine the impact of Sun Ce's death on the young duke. But Hua Tuo no longer served the kingdom of Wu, and his concerns counted for nothing.

"Some men are not born to rule," he says at last, shaking himself free of the hypnotic candlelight. "All men are born with ambition, but for some that ambition extends only to the boundaries of their estate. Sun Quan is one who was forced to re-evaluate his boundaries. This is the cause of his troubles."

Cao Cao seizes on the information. "He suffers illness?"

"He seeks what he most lacks." Hua Tuo kneels forward, leaning around his master to check Cao Cao's pulse. "He tries to cure himself."

"You use him as an object lesson for my benefit." Cao Cao sounds amused again. "I tell you, doctor: I will not give up my women."

Hua Tuo can't stop himself. The words burst from him. "Then at least give up your desire for Xiao Qiao!"

Stillness lies between them, then Cao Cao moves, turning where he sits to rake Hua Tuo with his gaze. "So this is what you meant by an unhealthy obsession."

There's no intonation in his voice, and Hua Tuo shudders in silent terror.

Cao Cao narrows his eyes. "I will not give up Xiao Qiao, either. My desires are of no importance to your physicking."

Hua Tuo exhales, breathing out his fear. His courage returns. "Your Highness, they have everything to do with it."

"So you cannot cure my headaches." The power leeches from Cao Cao and his voice dulls as fresh pain takes hold. He puts his hands to his temples and groans softly.

The moment of weakness makes him human again. Compassion stirs, and Hua Tuo shuffles to the low table nearby and pours a cup of wine. He brings it to Cao Cao and offers it out. When the Prime Minister accepts it, Hua Tuo glances at his face, at the tautness of his skin and the lines of pain etched deep. He's pale, his jaw tight as the migraine worms through his mind and splinters his calm.

Concerned, Hua Tuo fusses over him, probing at his neck and shoulders to unlock the stress atrophying his body. "I cannot cure the headaches inspired by your lust," he says gently, not even certain Cao Cao is listening to him. "I can give you temporary relief, but only a change in attitude will solve this problem."

He pulls up his sleeve and uses it to dab at Cao Cao's forehead, wiping away the fine sheen of sweat at his hairline. Emboldened by his master's vulnerability, Hua Tuo murmurs, "Prime Minister, there is something else. I have kept silent while I considered the diagnosis, but now I must speak..."

He pauses to gather his courage then plunges on without drawing breath. "I believe the cause of your headaches is more than unhealthy attachments to women. Further, I believe I can alleviate some of your suffering if you permit me to anaesthetise you and make a small incision in the skull..."

Cao Cao swats him away. He sits up straight and brings the wine to his lips. He hesitates, sniffing at it before he takes a sip. "No."

Hua Tuo tries again. He pulls a flat wooden box from his bundle of medical supplies and clicks it open, holding it in front of Cao Cao so he can see its contents. The small brick of dark brown resin looks innocuous, but Hua Tuo knows just how useful it is for dulling the senses and promoting feelings of calm.

"Cannabis," he explains. "The smallest addition to your wine eases your pain temporarily. All of this resin dissolved in a full cup would incapacitate you for a few hours, sending you into a deep sleep. You will feel no pain during the procedure. It will all be over by the time you awaken."

There's a pause as Cao Cao considers it, then he turns aside from the box of cannabis resin. "I would not like to be so helpless."

Hua Tuo inclines his head. Privately, he thinks Cao Cao's mind needs to slip its leash and run free, away from the troubles of planning a war and away from its obsession with Xiao Qiao. "I have performed the operation before, Your Highness."

Cao Cao puts down the rest of the wine. He's only taken one sip, and now he looks at it as if he suspects it's been drugged. "Perhaps, but you will not perform it on me. If you did, I would have you flayed alive and gutted, and your innards thrown to the fish."

Hua Tuo snaps the lid shut on the box and returns it to the bundle. He can do nothing more here this evening. Cao Cao's intransigence has ensured that his head will ache all night. It's time to remove the acupuncture needles, for now they can only do more harm than good.

"It is my wish to serve Your Highness," he says, and pauses as he pulls out the needles one by one, "and to save you from further suffering by easing your pain."

Cao Cao straightens his collar, smoothing down the heavy patterned silk of his outer robes. He gives Hua Tuo a measuring look. "You wish to ease my pain, do you? Very well. You may choose which of my concubines will share my couch tonight."

Hua Tuo catches his breath. Annoyance fills him, but as he fastens his bundle and holds it in his arms, he tells himself to be calm and not to care. He is only a doctor, and while he can advise, he cannot make decisions for another person. He bows, keeping his expression clear. "Yes, Prime Minister."

"Go." Cao Cao dismisses him.

The annoyance follows Hua Tuo out onto the deck of the ship. In an undertone, he tells the guards to send a woman – any woman – to the Prime Minister. His duty done, he walks across to the side of the flagship and looks out across the river. He can feel it, the drowning yin energy of the waters black in the night. On the opposite bank, the lights of the armies of the Shu and Wu alliance glow like fireflies.

The night-breeze brushes against his face. Hua Tuo lets it take his concerns and scatter them across the river. At the court of Wu, he'd seen daily the struggles of a man who wished to change himself and grow towards the destiny forced upon him. Here in the service of Wei, he attended a man who believed himself above change, who thought he could control destiny.

Hua Tuo shivers in the next gust of wind and wraps his cloak closer around his body. He cannot help a man who will not help himself. Perhaps it's time for him to move on.


End file.
